Local Opinions About F-35 Program Are All Over The Map

Burlington and a site in Utah are the two leading contenders to be home to the new
F-35 fighter jet program. As the Air Force decides where to put this program,
local opinion in Vermont is divided.

Vermont's congressional delegation continues to support it, and last week the leader of the Vermont
National Guard, Adjutant General Michael Dubie, tried to galvanize public
support, stressing the financial
importance of winning this military contract.

"If there was a number of
missions that we could choose from, well that would be a different issue. But
we don't believe there is," Dubie said. "The way we see it, there is no plan B for the
F-35s. If we were to lose our F-16s and
not have a replacement, we think that we would be dramatically different in
size. That's less money, less jobs and less resources."

But local officials in South Burlington, Burlington
and Winooski - the municipalities that are most affected by noise from the
airport - are approaching it from a very
different point of view.